Tag Archives: All Blacks

Former All Black captain, agricultural economist, and leading NZRU administrator – Bob Stuart, OBE – died in May aged 84. Although Stuart’s best playing years were taken up by military service during WW2, he successfully lead NZ…

The Age profiles Eric Tindill; the world’s oldest living Test cricketer, NZ’s oldest living All Black, and one of the hallowed few to represent the country in both sporting disciplines. “The elderly gent watching the TV isn’t…

All Black captain Tana Umaga received the Pierre Coubertin Trophy from theInternational Committee of Fair Play on December 9. Previous awardees include Martina Navratilova and Nelson Mandela. The trophy recognised his good sportsmanship in helping Welsh…

The All Blacks resumed their world No.1 ranking after a compelling 45-6 victory over European champions France. “I felt powerless,” said French coach Bernard Laporte. “I had the feeling that we could play for hours and…

Sean Fitzpatrick gives a lengthy interview in the Irish Times. The legendary All Black captain is currently based in London as a TV analyst and motivational speaker. He is also a charity ambassador (along with Martina Navratilova,…

Former All Black Eric Rush interviewed by the Gulf News at the launch of the 35th Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby 7s tournament. Rush joined Dan Crowley and John Bentley as key note speakers for the event. “I’ve…

Jonah Lomu is making a strong recovery from his July kidney transplant and has already named next year’s rugby sevens world cup as his comeback date. “That’s great news because sevens can provide him with the perfect…

A couple from St Louis give a colourful account of their whirlwind 14-day tour of NZ. “Throughout ‘Kiwiland’ we bumped into geographical quirks, idiosyncratic traditions and a countryside full of surprises: miniature blue penguins; peanut butter on…

A Rugby Heaven feature charts Tana Umaga’s meteoric rise from early flirtations with rugby league to becoming the All Black’s first Pacific Island captain. “Bob Marley would have seen another rebel in Tana Umaga, a fellow Rastaman,…

The All Blacks beat Australia 16-7 in miserable Wellington conditions to retain the Bledisloe Cup for the first time in seven years. Guardian: “For all the major effect the elements had in ruining this contest as a…

Two crushing wins over England and a scratchy performance against Argentina started the Graham Henry-coached, Tana Umaga-led 2004 All Blacks. Coverage from The Independent on the victories at Carisbrook, Eden Park, and Hamilton. Next…

Former All Black wing, Bruce Reihana, was named the English premier league’s Professional Rugby Players’ Association (PRA) Players’ Player of the Year in May. The 28-year-old Northampton Saints star was the English Premiership’s joint top try-scorer at the…

Condé Nast writer takes a “wholly enchanting” tour of the North Island behind the wheel of a BMW 745Li – dubbed the All Black “in honour of New Zealand’s brutal and beloved national rugby team.” Highlights on…

Singapore’s Straits Times focuses on the entrepreneurial spirit driving NZ’s booming science industry. “Over time, the Number 8 wire came to epitomise a culture of adaptability and creativity, a ‘can-do spirit’ of which the Kiwis are…

After starting as promising co-favourites the All Blacks finished a disappointing third in the 2003 World Cup being knocked out in the semi-finals 22-10 by a more professional and committed Wallaby performance. England defeated Australia 20-17…

The All Blacks go into this year’s Rugby World Cup ranked second after England, yet the British press largely favours them to win. According to the Observer, “the ABs are certainties for the final stages. If…

The All Blacks are using Telecom’s most state-of-the-art technology in their bid to win this year’s Rugby World Cup. Coach John Mitchell will be able to view streamed video footage of multiple angles of the game…

Christian Cullen’s signing to Irish side Munster after his exclusion from the 2003 All Black squad has created controversy at home and disbelief abroad. One person happy with the outcome is Munster rugby boss, Alan Gaffney, who…

NZ-born rugby player, Tony Marsh, has won his battle against testicular cancer and a place in France’s World Cup squad. Marsh cites American Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong – who was also diagnosed with testicular cancer…

A signed photograph of the 1905-6 All Black “Originals” has been sold at auction for $41,000. The photo had been kept in Aucklander David Wright’s family since 1906, when it was presented to his grandfather Charles Victor…

“Kirwan’s crew a cut above”. All Black legend John Kirwan has been reincarnated as the golden boy of Italian rugby after coaching the game’s “perennial whipping-boys” to their second ever Six Nations victory, and first against Wales….

Former All Blacks captain, David Kirk, has been appointed chief executive of troubled Australian publishing company PMP. Chairman Graham Reaney believes the ex-Rhodes scholar and governmental advisor has what it takes to turn PMP’s fortunes around: “He…

Former All Black captain Ian Kirkpatrick was a guest of honour at the 30th anniversary of 1973’s legendary NZ vs. Barbarians match. Dubbed “rugby’s Mona Lisa,” the Barbarians’ victory is viewed by many as the most thrilling…

Rugby fans around the world farewell Don “the Boot” Clarke, an incomparable All Black legend. Business Day calls him “an icon for a generation of NZers,” while The Australian remembers his match-winning conversion against France at Athletic Park…

SMH enlists an outside view on recent Wallabies’ performances from All Black legend Grant Fox. The verdict? Not good: “There doesn’t appear to be a lot of blooding of new talent going on at the moment,…

“Playing New Zealand means battling against the myths, legends and history of the All Blacks. In this professional era the aggression, determination and sheer ferociousness of the New Zealand game make them so hard to beat.” English…

Tours to the Northern Hemisphere winter by the The All Blacks, Wallabies and Springboks saw some interesting pre-World Cup square offs with NZ, France and England (!) jostling for favouritism at the whistle. The match…

The All Blacks positioned themselves to take the Tri-nations title for the first time since 1999 with a gripping and eventful tussle with the Springboks (including a spectator who took the game into his own hands). The…

Irish playwright John Breen’s tale of Munster’s famous victory over the 1978 grand-slam All Blacks recieves winning reviews and box office at the Sydney Opera House on its way to a season in Auckland’s…

Sebastian Coe reminisces about the grand days of athletics, when athletes focused on ambitious all-round feats. For a middle- distance runner, “no championship season was complete without a tilt at the 800m-1500m double.” He cites NZ legend…

Crys the Sydney Morning Herald. In a great weekend for trans-Tasman rivalry the All Blacks put one hand on the Beldislode Cup with a tough 12-6 victory over the Wallabies in atrocious conditions in Christchurch and the…

Great rugby commentator Bill Mclaren names his all-time greatest XV for The Times. Featuring three All Blacks: the “New Zealand totem” Colin Meads, the legendery skills of Zinzan Brooke, and “one of the great international captains” Sean…

Sir Peter has been posthumously given both the Laureus Lifetime Achievement Award and the Laureus Sport for Good Award at the 2002 World Sports Awards in Monte-Carlo. Sir Peter, was a founding member of the Academy…

All Black legend, winger John Kirwan, to take over as coach of the Italian national team from NZer Brad Johnstone – this includes touring Italy through his homeland where playing for the ABs he scored…

Irish club side Munster’s shut-out 12-0 defeat of the 1978 All Blacks proclaimed by Observer Sport Monthly as the tenth greatest shock in sport’s history. Munster playwright James Breen (Alone It Stands – about the events surrounding…

Alone it Stands, a heart-warming and hilarious re-enactment of Irish club side Munsters’ defeat of the All Blacks in 1978, plays to its 100,000th person. “Beating the All Blacks is the ultimate dream of anyone who…

You might not know it from the reaction of local fans, but the All Blacks are No.1, at least according to French Centre Thomas Castaignede in the Guardian. “They have the perfect mix.” With England No.2 the Aussies…

Respect: The Sydney Morning Herald offers solace to the demanding expectations of AB fans and puts a recently balanced ledger in the context of the history and aura of the All Black tradition: “Now you know…

Brandchannel reviews “one of the most distinctive international brands in the history of sport.” “The All Blacks are a team not a brand” insist the NZRFU. “The team’s values are absolutely about winning, whereas the brand’s values…

Controversial clergyman and academic Lloyd Geering carried off the highest honour in the New Years’ list, Principal Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit. Colin “Pinetree” Meads, All Black 1957-71 and all-time greatest AB, is one…